Display control apparatus, image forming apparatus, and nontransitory computer readable medium

ABSTRACT

A display control apparatus includes a display and a controller. The display displays a screen on which a target image and a processing image are arranged, the target image representing processing-target data, the processing image being an image for which a process to be performed on the processing-target data has been determined. The controller performs, in a case where an operation for moving the target image toward a position where the processing image is displayed has been received as a touch operation through the screen, control such that the processing image is moved toward a position where the target image is displayed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 14/618,177 filed Feb. 10,2015, which claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2014-031858 filed Feb. 21, 2014. The disclosure of theprior applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a display control apparatus, an imageforming apparatus, and a non-transitory computer readable medium.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a displaycontrol apparatus including a display and a controller. The displaydisplays a screen on which a target image and a processing image arearranged, the target image representing processing-target data, theprocessing image being an image for which a process to be performed onthe processing-target data has been determined. The controller performs,in a case where an operation for moving the target image toward aposition where the processing image is displayed has been received as atouch operation through the screen, control such that the processingimage is moved toward a position where the target image is displayed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described indetail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofan image processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining an example of a screendisplayed when a user performs processing on image data;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screenobtained when a drag operation is performed for a thumbnail image;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen in thecase where a setting list is moved when a drag operation is performedfor the thumbnail image;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen in the casewhere two setting lists are moved when a drag operation is performed forthe thumbnail image;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating another example of a screen inthe case where two setting lists are moved when a drag operation isperformed for the thumbnail image;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen onwhich an indicator is displayed when a drag operation is performed forthe thumbnail image;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedurein which a controller moves a certain setting button;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedurein which the controller applies settings of a certain setting button toa certain thumbnail image; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a processingprocedure in which the controller applies settings of a certain settingbutton to a certain thumbnail image.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention willbe explained in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

<Configuration of Image Processing Apparatus>

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofan image processing apparatus 10 according to the exemplary embodimentof the present invention. The image processing apparatus 10 according tothe exemplary embodiment is, for example, an apparatus equipped with ascan function, a print function, a copy function, and the like. Theimage processing apparatus 10 includes a controller 100, a display 104,an image reading unit 105, an image forming unit 106, an imageprocessing unit 107, a communication unit 108, and a memory 109. Notethat these functional units are connected to a bus 110, and datatransmission and data reception are performed via the bus 110. Inaddition, in the exemplary embodiment, the image processing apparatus 10is used as an example of a display control apparatus and an imageforming apparatus.

The display 104 serving as an example of a display includes, forexample, a liquid crystal touch panel display (hereinafter referred toas a touch panel) and displays, for example, data regarding the imageprocessing apparatus 10 under control of the controller 100. Inaddition, the display 104 detects a touch performed by a user on adisplayed screen and receives an operation from the user. As a unit thatdetects a touch, any unit may be used such as a unit that detects atouch on the basis of pressure, a unit that detects a touch performed byan object on the basis of static electricity of the object, and thelike.

In addition, in the exemplary embodiment, in the case where the userperforms processing on image data stored in the image processingapparatus 10, for example, a thumbnail image and a setting button aredisplayed on the display 104, the setting button being a button forsetting the content of processing for a document file represented by thethumbnail image. Here, a thumbnail image is an image illustrating aprint image of a document file and is an image of a predetermined sizeto which the size of a document image of a certain page included in thedocument file is reduced. For example, a thumbnail image is created byreducing a document image of page 1 of a document file or thumbnailimages are created by reducing document images of the pages of thedocument file. The user selects a thumbnail image on the display 104,and may apply settings of a setting button to the selected thumbnailimage by performing an operation on the selected thumbnail image on thescreen. In the exemplary embodiment, a thumbnail image is used as anexample of a target image. In addition, a setting button is used as anexample of a processing image.

The controller 100 serving as an example of a controller performscontrol on the functional units provided in the image processingapparatus 10. Here, the controller 100 includes a central processingunit (CPU) 101, a read-only memory (ROM) 102, and a random-access memory(RAM) 103.

The ROM 102 stores a control program, which is executed by the CPU 101.The CPU 101 reads the control program stored in the ROM 102, andexecutes the control program using the RAM 103 as a work area. When thecontrol program is executed by the CPU 101, the functional units of theimage processing apparatus 10 are controlled.

In addition, the controller 100 controls the display 104 such that thedisplay 104 is caused to display images, and performs processing inaccordance with an operation received through the display 104 from theuser. Here, the controller 100 determines the type of a touch operationperformed on the display on the basis of the position touched by theuser on the display 104, and receives the determined touch operation asan input from the user.

For example, there are “tap”, “drag”, “release”, “flick”, “long tap”,and the like as touch operations performed on the display. In addition,an operation performed with a finger of the user through a touch of ascreen will be explained as a touch operation in the followingexplanation; however, instead of a finger of the user, for example, anoperation performed with a touch pen held by the user through a touch ofthe screen may also be a touch operation.

“Tap” refers to an operation in which the screen is touched by a fingerof the user. “Drag” refers to an operation in which the user moves theirfinger while touching the screen with their finger. “Release” refers toan operation in which the user lifts their finger such that their fingeris away from the screen from the state in which the screen is touched bytheir finger. “Flick” refers to an operation in which the user removestheir finger by a quick jerky movement from the state in which thescreen is touched by their finger. “Long tap” refers to an operation inwhich the user keeps touching a certain point or a certain area on thescreen for a predetermined time period.

Then, for example, when the user performs a long tap operation on athumbnail image displayed on the screen of the display 104, thecontroller 100 detects a touch on the screen and determines that thetouch operation performed on the screen is a long tap. Then, thecontroller 100 performs certain processing assuming that a thumbnailimage present at the position touched has been selected. In addition,for example, when the user performs a drag operation for a thumbnailimage displayed on the screen, the controller 100 determines that atouch operation performed on the screen is dragging and performs certainprocessing assuming that a drag operation has been performed to move thethumbnail image present at the position touched.

Furthermore, when a thumbnail image displayed on the screen of thedisplay 104 is selected and a drag operation is received for theselected thumbnail image, the controller 100 calculates a direction inwhich a finger of the user has been moved from the point touched whendragging is started, in accordance with the amount of travel of thefinger from the point touched when dragging is started (hereinafterreferred to as a drag direction). Then, the controller 100 determineswhether or not a setting button is displayed in the calculated dragdirection from the point touched when dragging is started. In the casewhere a setting button is displayed, the controller 100 furtherdetermines whether or not settings of the displayed setting button areapplicable to the selected thumbnail image. In the case where thesettings of the setting button are applicable to the selected thumbnailimage, the controller 100 performs processing in which the settingbutton is moved to a position near a display position of the selectedthumbnail image.

That is, upon receiving a drag operation for moving the selectedthumbnail image toward a display position of the setting button, thecontroller 100 performs processing in which the setting button is movedtoward the display position of the selected thumbnail image, in the casewhere the settings of the setting button are applicable to the selectedthumbnail image. Here, at the time when a movement direction of theselected thumbnail image (the drag direction) is determined through thedrag operation, the controller 100 performs processing in which thesetting button displayed in the movement direction is moved toward thedisplay position of the selected thumbnail image.

Note that, for example, in the case where the user has changed the dragdirection and performed a drag operation in a direction different fromthe direction in which the setting button has been moved, the controller100 removes display of the setting button, which has been moved,assuming that the user does not want to perform an operation on thesetting button. In such a case, for example, after change of the dragdirection, when another setting button is displayed in a drag directionobtained after the change, the controller 100 performs processing inwhich the other setting button is moved.

Likewise, in the case where the user has performed a drag operation formoving their finger past the setting button, which has been moved, thecontroller 100 removes display of the setting button, which has beenmoved, assuming that the user does not want to perform an operation onthe setting button.

In contrast, upon determining that, for example, a release operation hasbeen performed within the setting button, which has been moved, thecontroller 100 performs processing in which the settings of the settingbutton are applied to the selected thumbnail image.

Note that a program executed by the CPU 101 may be provided in a statein which the program is stored in a computer readable recording medium,examples of which include magnetic recording mediums (a magnetic tape, amagnetic disk, and the like), optical recording mediums (an optical diskand the like), magneto-optical recording mediums, semiconductor memorydevices, and the like. In addition, the program may also be downloadedinto the image processing apparatus 10 via a way of communication suchas the Internet.

The image reading unit 105 is equipped with an image reading apparatus(a scanner apparatus) that reads a document and that creates image datarepresenting images of the read document, and outputs the created imagedata to the image processing unit 107.

The image forming unit 106 serving as an example of an image formingunit is equipped with an image forming mechanism that performs a printprocess in which a toner image corresponding to image data is formed ona sheet, which is an example of a recording material, for example, by anelectrophotographic system or the like.

The image processing unit 107 performs a certain image process on inputimage data, examples of the image process including color correction,tone correction, and the like. The image processing unit 107 outputsimage data on which the certain image process has been performed, to theimage forming unit 106.

The communication unit 108 is connected to a communication line, whichis not illustrated, and functions as a communication interface thatperforms communication with other apparatuses connected to thecommunication line.

The memory 109 is equipped with a memory device such as a hard diskdrive, and stores, for example, data received by the communication unit108 and data created by the image processing apparatus 10.

<Explanation of Screen Displayed on Display>

Next, a screen displayed on the display 104 will be explained.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining an example of a screendisplayed when the user performs processing on image data. When the userperforms, for example, processing on image data such as printing, thescreen illustrated in FIG. 2A is normally displayed on the display 104.Plural thumbnail images 1 and plural setting buttons are displayed onthe screen illustrated in FIG. 2A.

As setting buttons, there are provided, on the screen illustrated inFIG. 2A, a setting button for rotating a processing-target imagecounterclockwise by 90 degrees (hereinafter referred to as acounterclockwise-rotation button 2A), a setting button for rotating aprocessing-target image clockwise by 90 degrees (hereinafter referred toas a clockwise-rotation button 2B), and a setting button for rotatingall thumbnail images clockwise by 90 degrees in a collective manner(hereinafter referred to as an entire clockwise-rotation button 2C). Inthe following, the counterclockwise-rotation button 2A, theclockwise-rotation button 2B, and the entire clockwise-rotation button2C may also be collectively called a rotation button 2.

In addition, as setting buttons, there are provided, on the screenillustrated in FIG. 2A, a setting button for removing aprocessing-target image (hereinafter referred to as a remove button 3A),a setting button for printing a processing-target image (hereinafterreferred to as a print button 3B), and a setting button for displayingan explanation of processing to be performed on a processing-targetimage (hereinafter referred to as an explanation button 3C). In thefollowing, the remove button 3A, the print button 3B, and theexplanation button 3C may also be collectively called a processingbutton 3.

Furthermore, there are provided, on the screen illustrated in FIG. 2A, asetting button for setting colors for printing (hereinafter referred toas a color setting button 4) and a setting button for settingsingle-sided printing or double-sided printing (hereinafter referred toas a side setting button 5).

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, in the case where the user selects oneof the plural thumbnail images 1, when the user performs, for example, along tap operation by pressing down a thumbnail image 1A, which is oneof the plural thumbnail images 1, with their finger, the thumbnail image1A becomes selected.

Next, a screen obtained when the user performs a drag operation for aselected thumbnail image will be explained.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screenobtained when a drag operation is performed for the thumbnail image 1A.After selecting the thumbnail image 1A on the screen, for example, asillustrated in FIG. 3A, when the user presses down the thumbnail image1A and performs a drag operation in the direction where the rotationbutton 2 is displayed (a direction indicated by an arrow S1), therotation button 2 is moved to a position near the display position ofthe thumbnail image 1A (moved in a direction indicated by an arrow T1).Regions encircled by a broken line illustrated in FIG. 3A are regionswhere the rotation button 2 has been displayed, and illustrate a pathfrom the position where the rotation button 2 is initially displayed tothe position near the display position of the thumbnail image 1A. Inaddition, assume that although the thumbnail image 1A is not moved inFIGS. 3A and 3B, the thumbnail image 1A, a copied image of the thumbnailimage 1A, or the like is moved through a drag operation.

Here, the controller 100 determines that a drag operation is beingperformed for the thumbnail image 1A selected through a long tapoperation and calculates the drag direction in accordance with theamount of travel of the finger from the point touched when dragging isstarted. Then, the controller 100 determines that the rotation button 2is displayed in the calculated drag direction from the point touchedwhen dragging is started, and performs processing in which the rotationbutton 2 is moved to the position near the display position of thethumbnail image 1A. Note that, for example, in the case where aprocessing-target image corresponding to the thumbnail image 1A is notset to be rotated, the controller 100 determines that the settings ofthe rotation button 2 are inapplicable to the thumbnail image 1A. Insuch a case, even when the user performs a drag operation as illustratedin FIG. 3A, the controller 100 does not perform processing in which therotation button 2 is moved.

In addition, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3A, the controller 100moves the rotation button 2 including the counterclockwise-rotationbutton 2A, the clockwise-rotation button 2B, and the entireclockwise-rotation button 2C; however, the controller 100 is not limitedto a controller configured in this manner. In the example illustrated inFIG. 3A, the controller 100 moves three setting buttons together, whichare the counterclockwise-rotation button 2A, the clockwise-rotationbutton 2B, and the entire clockwise-rotation button 2C, by treating thethree setting buttons as buttons having functions similar to oneanother. However, for example, the controller 100 may have aconfiguration with which only the counterclockwise-rotation button 2A ismoved or the counterclockwise-rotation button 2A and theclockwise-rotation button 2B are moved. In addition, for example, in thecase where another setting button is present in addition to the rotationbutton 2 in the drag direction for the thumbnail image 1A, thecontroller 100 may also move the other setting button together with therotation button 2. In this manner, the number of setting buttons movedby the controller 100 may be one or more than one.

Furthermore, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3A, the controller 100moves the rotation button 2, which is displayed; however, the controller100 is not limited to a controller configured in this manner. Forexample, the controller 100 may let the rotation button 2, which isdisplayed, be displayed at its position, copy the rotation button 2, andmove the rotation button 2 obtained as a result of copying.

In addition, the example illustrated in FIG. 3B is an example in whichthe processing button 3 is moved. After selecting the thumbnail image 1Aon the screen, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, when the userpresses down the thumbnail image 1A and performs a drag operation in thedirection where the processing button 3 is displayed (a directionindicated by an arrow S2), the processing button 3 is moved to aposition near the display position of the thumbnail image 1A (moved in adirection indicated by an arrow T2) similarly as in the case of FIG. 3A.

Next, another example of a screen obtained when the user performs a dragoperation for a selected thumbnail image will be explained.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen in thecase where a setting list is moved when a drag operation is performedfor the thumbnail image 1A. A setting list is a list of selectablesetting items set for a setting button, and is displayed when a userselects (presses down) the setting button.

For example, when the user selects the color setting button 4, a colorsetting list 6 illustrated in FIG. 4A is displayed like a pop-up menuthat appears in the foreground of the screen. In the color setting list6, as color settings for printing, items such as “color (automaticdetermination)”, “black and white”, “two colors (black/red)”, “twocolors (black/green)”, “two colors (black/blue)”, and “other colormodes” are displayed as selectable setting items. In addition, when theuser selects the side setting button 5, a side setting list 7illustrated in FIG. 4B is displayed like a pop-up menu. In the sidesetting list 7, as print-format settings for printing, items such as“single-sided printing”, “double-sided printing (short-side binding)”,and “double-sided printing (long-side binding)” are displayed asselectable setting items. Note that some setting buttons are settingbuttons that do not have setting lists such as the rotation button 2.

Then, after selecting the thumbnail image 1A on the screen, for example,as illustrated in FIG. 4A, when the user presses down the thumbnailimage 1A and performs a drag operation in the direction where the colorsetting button 4 is displayed (a direction indicated by an arrow S3),the color setting list 6 is moved to a position near the displayposition of the thumbnail image 1A from the position where the colorsetting button 4 is displayed (moved in a direction indicated by anarrow T3). In addition, after selecting the thumbnail image 1A on thescreen, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, when the user pressesdown the thumbnail image 1A and performs a drag operation in thedirection where the side setting button 5 is displayed (a directionindicated by an arrow S4), the side setting list 7 is moved to aposition near the display position of the thumbnail image 1A from theposition where the side setting button 5 is displayed (moved in adirection indicated by an arrow T4).

In this manner, for setting buttons that have setting lists, thecontroller 100 may also move not a setting button but a setting list ofthe setting button.

Next, another example of a screen obtained when the user performs a dragoperation for a selected thumbnail image will be explained.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen in the casewhere two setting lists are moved when a drag operation is performed forthe thumbnail image 1A. After selecting the thumbnail image 1A, forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the user presses down thethumbnail image 1A and performs a drag operation in the directionbetween the color setting button 4 and the side setting button 5 (adirection indicated by an arrow S5), both the color setting list 6 andthe side setting list 7 are moved to a position near the displayposition of the thumbnail image 1A. That is, the color setting list 6 ismoved in a direction indicated by an arrow T5 and the side setting list7 is moved in a direction indicated by an arrow T6.

In this manner, in the case where the direction in which a thumbnailimage is dragged is a direction between plural displayed settingbuttons, the controller 100 may also move plural setting lists. Inaddition, here, the example has been explained in which plural settinglists are moved; however, plural setting buttons may also be moved.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating another example of a screen inthe case where two setting lists are moved when a drag operation isperformed for the thumbnail image 1A.

When setting lists are moved as illustrated in FIG. 5, there may be thecase where the setting lists overlap thumbnail images 1, which areoriginally displayed, and thus display of the thumbnail images 1 ishidden. Thus, the controller 100 may also display settings lists in areduced size as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 6A, for items in the setting lists,the controller 100 displays the setting lists in a reduced size bydisplaying only images each of which representing the content of acorresponding one of the items. After selecting the thumbnail image 1Aon the screen, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, when the userpresses down the thumbnail image 1A and performs a drag operation in thedirection between the color setting button 4 and the side setting button5 (the direction indicated by the arrow S5), the color setting list 6and the side setting list 7 illustrated in FIG. 5 are displayed in areduced size (a color setting list 6A and a side setting list 7Aillustrated in FIG. 6A) and moved to a position near the displayposition of the thumbnail image 1A. That is, the color setting list 6Ais moved in a direction indicated by an arrow T7 and the side settinglist 7A is moved in a direction indicated by an arrow T8.

In this manner, display of the thumbnail images 1 is not hidden bydisplaying setting lists in a reduced size.

Then, for example, when the user moves their finger to one of the itemsof a certain setting list, the entirety of the content of the selecteditem is displayed as illustrated in FIG. 6B. In the example illustratedin FIG. 6B, an item of “color” is selected when the user performs a dragoperation in a direction indicated by an arrow S6 and moves their fingerto an image representing the item of “color”, and characters “color(automatic determination)” are displayed next to the image.

Next, a screen will be explained on which an indicator is displayed whenthe user performs a drag operation for a selected thumbnail image. Here,an indicator is an image displayed between a thumbnail image 1 andanother thumbnail image 1, and is an image for rearranging the positionof the thumbnail image 1A among the plural thumbnail images 1. In theexemplary embodiment, an indicator is used as an example of anindication image.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating an example of a screen onwhich an indicator 8 is displayed when a drag operation is performed forthe thumbnail image 1A. After selecting the thumbnail image 1A, forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, when the user presses down thethumbnail image 1A and performs a drag operation in the directionbetween the color setting button 4 and the side setting button 5 (thedirection indicated by the arrow S5), both the color setting list 6 andthe side setting list 7 are moved to a position near the displayposition of the thumbnail image 1A.

Normally, in the case where the user performs an operation forrearranging the position of the thumbnail image 1A, a process in whichthe thumbnail image 1A is moved to a position where a release operationis performed by the user performing a drag operation for the thumbnailimage 1A and performing a release operation between a certain thumbnailimage 1 and another thumbnail image 1. In the exemplary embodiment, inthe case where the user performs such an operation, setting lists aremoved to a position near the display position of the thumbnail image 1Aas illustrated in FIG. 7A. There may be the case where the setting listsoverlap thumbnail images 1, which are originally displayed, and thusdisplay of the thumbnail images 1 is hidden.

When display of the thumbnail images 1 is hidden, it becomes moredifficult for the user to perform an operation for rearranging theposition of the thumbnail image 1A. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, thecontroller 100 displays the indicator 8 between a certain hiddenthumbnail image 1 and another hidden thumbnail image 1. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 7A, for the thumbnail images 1 present in the dragdirection, the indicator 8 is displayed between a certain thumbnailimage 1 and another thumbnail image 1. In addition, for the indicator 8,for example, display of the indicator 8 may also be performed whenconditions are satisfied, examples of which include the case where atime period during which the user presses down a setting list exceeds apredetermined time period and the like.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 7B, the controller 100 may alsoincrease the transparency of images of the setting lists and display thethumbnail images 1 behind the setting lists in a visible manner. Inaddition, in the example illustrated in FIG. 7B, in the case where theuser touches the indicator 8 with their finger in a state where the userpresses down the thumbnail image 1A and then a drag operation isperformed for the thumbnail image 1A, the thumbnail images 1 behind thesetting lists are displayed in a visible manner. In this manner, whenpredetermined conditions are satisfied, the thumbnail images 1 may alsobe displayed in a visible manner. As another example of conditions here,for example, the case is conceivable where a time period during whichthe user presses down a setting list exceeds a predetermined time periodor the like.

Then, when the user performs a release operation on the indicator 8, thecontroller 100 performs a process in which the position of the thumbnailimage 1A is rearranged, by moving the thumbnail image 1A to the positionwhere the indicator 8 is displayed, that is, the position between acertain thumbnail image 1 and another thumbnail image 1.

In addition, in the example illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, thecontroller 100 displays one indicator 8 between a certain thumbnailimage 1 and another thumbnail image 1 present in the drag direction;however, the controller 100 is not limited to a controller configured inthis manner. For example, the controller 100 may also display indicators8 at all the positions each of which is between a corresponding one ofand another one of the thumbnail images 1 hidden by the setting lists.

Furthermore, in the example illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, thecontroller 100 displays the indicator 8 on the setting lists; however,in the case where a setting button overlaps a thumbnail image 1 anddisplay of the thumbnail image 1 is hidden, the indicator 8 may also bedisplayed on the setting button.

<Explanation of Processing Procedure for Moving Setting Button>

Next, a process will be explained in which the controller 100 moves acertain setting button. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example ofa processing procedure in which the controller 100 moves a certainsetting button. In the processing procedure illustrated in FIG. 8, as aninitial state, assume that the screen illustrated in FIG. 2A isdisplayed on the display 104 as a screen displayed when the userperforms a certain process on image data.

First, the controller 100 determines whether or not a touch has beendetected on the display 104 (Step 101). In the case where a touch hasnot been detected (No in Step 101), the flow of the processing procedureends. In contrast, in the case where a touch has been detected, thecontroller 100 determines whether or not a touch operation is a long tapoperation performed on a certain thumbnail image displayed on thedisplay 104 (Step 102). In the case where the touch operation is a longtap operation performed on a certain thumbnail image (Yes in Step 102),the controller 100 determines whether or not the next touch operation isa drag operation performed for the thumbnail image selected through thelong tap (hereinafter referred to as a selected thumbnail) (Step 103).In the case where a drag operation has been performed for the selectedthumbnail (Yes in Step 103), the controller 100 causes a current mode toshift to a “parameter setting mode”, which is a mode in which settingsare set for a thumbnail image (Step 104).

In contrast, in the case where the touch operation is not a long tapperformed on a certain thumbnail image (No in Step 102) or in the casewhere a touch operation performed after a long tap is not a dragoperation for the selected thumbnail (No in Step 103), the flow of theprocessing procedure ends. For example, in the case where it isdetermined in Step 102 or in Step 103 that the touch operation is a tapoperation performed on the selected thumbnail, the controller 100performs a process in which details of the thumbnail image selectedthrough the tap are displayed. In addition, for example, in the casewhere it is determined in Step 102 or in Step 103 that the touchoperation is a drag operation performed on an area where thumbnailimages are not displayed, the controller 100 causes the current mode toshift to a “page scroll mode”. The page scroll mode is a mode in which aso-called scroll process is performed in which an entire image displayedon the display 104 is scrolled.

Next, after the current mode is caused to shift to the parameter settingmode, the controller 100 calculates a drag direction in accordance withthe amount of travel of a finger from the point touched when dragging isstarted (Step 105). Then, the controller 100 determines whether or not asetting button applicable to the selected thumbnail is displayed in thecalculated drag direction from the point touched when dragging isstarted (Step 106).

In the case where an applicable setting button is displayed (Yes in Step106), the controller 100 performs a process in which the applicablesetting button is moved to a position near the display position of theselected thumbnail and the flow of the processing procedure ends (Step107). In contrast, in the case where an applicable setting button is notdisplayed (No in Step 106), the controller 100 does not perform aprocess in which a setting button is moved and cancels the parametersetting mode (Step 108), and the flow of the processing procedure ends.

<Explanation of Processing Procedure for Applying Settings of SettingButton>

Next, a process will be explained in which the controller 100 appliessettings of a certain setting button to a certain thumbnail image. FIG.9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure inwhich the controller 100 applies settings of a certain setting button toa certain thumbnail image. In the processing procedure illustrated inFIG. 9, as an initial state, assume that the user has performed a dragoperation for a selected thumbnail, the current mode has been shifted tothe parameter setting mode in Step 104 of FIG. 8, and, in Step 107, acertain setting button is in a state in which the setting button hasbeen moved to a position near the display position of the selectedthumbnail.

First, the controller 100 determines whether or not the drag directionis the same as a direction in which the setting button, which has beenmoved, is present (Step 201). In the case where the drag direction isthe same as the direction (Yes in Step 201), the controller 100determines whether or not a drag operation has been performed in which afinger is moved past the setting button, which has been moved, (Step202). In the case where such a drag operation has not been performed (Noin Step 202), the controller 100 determines whether or not a releaseoperation has been performed (Step 203). In contrast, in the case whereNo is obtained in Step 201 or in the case where Yes is obtained in Step202, the flow proceeds to Step 208.

Next, in the case where a release operation has been performed (Yes inStep 203), the controller 100 determines whether or not the releaseoperation has been performed within the setting button, which has beenmoved, (Step 204). In contrast, in the case where a release operationhas not been performed (No in Step 203), the flow proceeds to Step 201and the controller 100 performs determination in Steps 201 and 202again.

In addition, in the case where the release operation is not performedwithin the setting button (No in Step 204), the flow proceeds to Step208, which will be described later. In contrast, in the case where therelease operation has been performed within the setting button (Yes inStep 204), the controller 100 determines whether or not the releaseoperation has been performed on an indicator (Step 205).

In the case where the release operation has been performed on theindicator (Yes in Step 205), the controller 100 causes the current modeto shift from the parameter setting mode to a reordering mode in whichthumbnail images are reordered and executes a process in which theposition of the selected thumbnail is rearranged (Step 206), and theflow of the processing procedure ends.

In contrast, in the case where the release operation has not beenperformed on the indicator (No in Step 205), the controller 100 performsa process in which settings are applied to the selected thumbnail, thesettings corresponding to a position where the release operation hasbeen performed within the setting button (Step 207). For example, in thecase where the release operation has been performed on the print button3B, the controller 100 performs a process in which a processing-targetimage corresponding to the selected thumbnail is printed. In addition,for example, in the case where the release operation has been performedon a setting item of “black and white” of the color setting list 6, thecontroller 100 sets settings of black-and-white printing for theprocessing-target image corresponding to the selected thumbnail. Next,the controller 100 removes display of the setting button, which has beenmoved, (Step 208) and cancels the parameter setting mode (Step 209), andthe flow of the processing procedure ends.

<Another Example of Processing Procedure for Applying Settings ofSetting Button>

In the processing procedure illustrated in FIG. 9, the case has beenexplained where the settings of the setting button are applied to thethumbnail image when the user performs a release operation within thesetting button. Another example of a process will be explained in whichthe settings of a setting button are applied. FIG. 10 is a flowchartillustrating another example of a processing procedure in which thecontroller 100 applies settings of a certain setting button to a certainthumbnail image.

A target touch operation to be subjected to processing in the case ofapplication of settings of a setting button in the processing procedureillustrated in FIG. 10 differs from that in the processing procedureillustrated in FIG. 9. In the processing procedure illustrated in FIG.10, as an initial state, similarly to as in FIG. 9, assume that the userhas performed a drag operation for a selected thumbnail, the currentmode has been shifted to the parameter setting mode in Step 104 of FIG.8, and, in Step 107, a certain setting button is in a state in which thesetting button has been moved to a position near the display position ofthe selected thumbnail.

A process in Steps 301 to 306 is similar to the process in Steps 201 to206 of FIG. 9, and thus the description thereof will be omitted here.Then, in the case where No is obtained in Step 305, that is, in the casewhere the controller 100 has determined that a release operation has notbeen performed on an indicator, the controller 100 maintains theposition of the setting button, which has been moved, and determineswhether or not a touch is detected on the display 104 within apredetermined time period (Step 307). Here, for example, the controller100 uses a timer that measures a time period remaining until apredetermined time, in order to detect that a predetermined time periodhas elapsed. In the case where a touch is not detected within thepredetermined time period (No in Step 307), the flow proceeds to Step310, which will be described later.

In contrast, in the case where a touch has been detected within thepredetermined time period (Yes in Step 307), the controller 100determines whether or not a detected touch operation has been performedwithin the area of the setting button, which has been moved, (Step 308).Then, in the case where the detected touch operation has been performedwithin the area of the setting button (Yes in Step 308), the controller100 performs a process in which the settings of the setting button areapplied to the selected thumbnail (Step 309). In contrast, in the casewhere the detected touch operation is not performed within the area ofthe setting button (No in Step 308), the flow proceeds to Step 310,which will be described later.

Here, for example, in the case where an operation such as a tap, a longtap, or the like is performed within the setting button, settingscorresponding to the position touched within the setting button areapplied to the selected thumbnail. In addition, for example, in the casewhere the setting button has plural items and scrolling is possiblewithin the setting button, when a flick operation is performed withinthe setting button, scrolling is executed and items are displayed in asliding manner. In such a case, for example, when the user selects oneof the plural items through a tap or the like, settings of the selecteditem are applied to the selected thumbnail. After applying the settingsof the setting button, the controller 100 removes display of the settingbutton, which has been moved, (Step 310), and cancels the parametersetting mode (Step 311), and the flow of the processing procedure ends.

In addition, in Steps 304 and 305, the controller 100 determines aposition where a release operation has been performed; however, forexample, the flow may also proceed to Step 307 from Step 303 withoutdetermination of a position where a release operation has beenperformed. Then, for example, when an operation such as a tap isperformed on a setting button within a predetermined time period, thecontroller 100 may perform processing in Step 309. When an operationsuch as a tap is performed on an indicator within a predetermined timeperiod, the controller 100 may also perform processing in Step 306.

As described above, the image processing apparatus 10 according to theexemplary embodiment detects a touch operation performed by the user onthe screen and performs, when a drag operation is performed for athumbnail image, a process in which a setting button present in the dragdirection is moved to a position near the display position of thethumbnail image. In the case where the user touches a touch panel andperforms dragging, for example, the number of user operations is greaterthan that in the case where the user drags an image using an inputdevice such as a mouse.

In addition, in the exemplary embodiment, the image processing apparatus10 having a configuration including a touch panel has been explained;however, the configuration of the image processing apparatus 10 is notlimited to such a configuration. For example, an operation may also beperformed for a thumbnail image using a portable information terminalhaving a touch panel (a so-called smartphone, tablet, or the like). Insuch a case, a portable information terminal is connected to the imageprocessing apparatus 10 via a network, and images represented by imagedata held by the image processing apparatus 10 are displayed on thetouch panel of the portable information terminal. Then, settings are setfor a thumbnail image displayed on the touch panel of the portableinformation terminal, by the user performing an operation on thethumbnail image. The contents of the settings are transmitted from theportable information terminal to the image processing apparatus 10, and,for example, printing such as color printing, double-sided printing, andthe like is performed by the image processing apparatus 10.

Furthermore, settings are set for a thumbnail image illustrating a printimage of a document file in the exemplary embodiment; however, imagesfor which settings are set are not limited to thumbnail images. Settingsmay also be set for any kind of images as long as the images representprocessing-target data.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modificationsand variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display control apparatus comprising: a display that displays a screen on which a target image and a processing image are arranged at a first relative position to each other, and in the event that a user performs a drag operation on the target image, the display displays the processing image only at a position (i) that is different from a position of the processing image at the first relative position; and (ii) where the target image and processing image are arranged at a second relative position in which the processing image and the target image are nearer to each other than the first relative position; and a controller that applies a process determined for the processing image to data represented by the target image based on the drag operation even if the user does not drag the target image during the drag operation to a position of the processing image that is arranged on the screen.
 2. A display control apparatus comprising: a display that displays a screen on which a target image and a processing image are arranged at a first relative position to each other, and in the event that a user performs a drag operation on the target image, the display displays (i) the target image and the processing image at a second relative position in which the processing image and the target image are nearer to each other than the first relative position and displays (ii) a path illustrating a movement from the first relative position to the second relative position; a controller that applies a process determined for the processing image to data represented by the target image based on the drag operation even if the user does not drag the target image during the drag operation to a position of the processing image that is arranged on the screen.
 3. A display control apparatus comprising: a display that is configured to: (i) display a screen on which a target image and a processing image are each arranged at respective display positions, and (ii) in the event that a user performs a drag operation on the target image, moves each of the respective display positions so that the target image and the processing image become nearer to each other on the screen; and a controller that performs a process determined for the processing image on the data represented by the target image in response to the drag operation.
 4. The display control apparatus of claim 3, wherein, in the event that the user performs the drag operation on the target image, the display further displays a path illustrating the movement of at least one of the respective display positions.
 5. The display control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller applies the process corresponding to the processing image to data represented by the target image based on the drag operation even if the user does not drag the target image during the drag operation to the display position of the processing image.
 6. The display control apparatus of claim 3, wherein: the drag operation is a touchscreen operation performed by a user's finger, and the controller performs the process determined for the processing image in response to the user releasing the user's finger.
 7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process, the process comprising: displaying, via a display, a screen on which a target image and a processing image are each arranged at respective display positions, and moving, via a display, each of the respective display positions so that the target image and the processing image become nearer to each other on the screen in the event that a user performs a drag operation on the target image; and performing, by a controller, a process determined for the processing image on the data represented by the target image in response to the drag operation.
 8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising displaying a path illustrating the movement of at least one of the respective display positions in the event that the user performs the drag operation on the target image.
 9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, further comprising applying the process corresponding to the processing image to data represented by the target image based on the drag operation even if the user does not drag the target image during the drag operation to the display position of the processing image.
 10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein: the drag operation is a touchscreen operation performed by a user's finger, and the process determined for the processing image is performed in response to the user releasing the user's finger. 